Angela Shartel Interview

Angela Shartel has wins at Quad Dipsea, Bear, Cruel Jewel, Massnutten, and San Diego 100 miler. She’s an M9 at Western and recently finished 2nd at Araivapa Running’s Coldwater Rumble in Arizona.

That last result–a podium at a 100 miler–is what we focus on a lot in this interview.

After a few strong years of top results, Angela Shartel had maxed out in the pressure department. She talks about seeking approval through her running and gradually increasing the intensity to ensure her position in the sport, but it quickly turned sour. Running competitively became a destructive activity for her and she pulled back.

Angela Shartel having fun on the trails.

In this interview, we discuss:

How Angela dealt with the success and what lessons she learned along the way.

The perils and psychology of self-diagnosing and catastrophizing any symptoms or medical issue.

What she’s learned from pacing and running with the legendary Scotty Mills. Lesson: Take in the beauty.

The mental anguish of physical recovery. How’d she deal with losing her identity and routine while she recovered from spinal surgery last year.

…and how in the heck she podiumed at the aforementioned 100 miler last month.

Angela Shartel, before and after.

“In my mind I had so much self doubt. OK, maybe that podium was a fluke, or maybe that time just luck. I kept making excuses for why I wouldn’t normally be able to do that.”

Not lost on any of this is how Angela ended up here in the first place. After a scary pregnancy, an abusive marriage, weight gain, and subsequent health scares along the way, she needed to make a change and quickly discovered that she was pretty damn good at endurance events. Angela has a fascinating story that I’d urge you to listen to. Below are a few podcasts and articles that dive into that aspect of Angela Shartel’s life:

Be sure to check out the Yeti Trail Runners for trail and ultramarathon events, cool shirts, beer talk, and a general relaxed approach to this wacky sport. Looking for a seven hour race or an East Coast Western States qualifier? They’ve got ’em! Want to hear Yeti Founder Jason Green on URP? Here he is from his 2015 interview.

I host and manage ultrarunnerpodcast.com, a site devoted to the Mountain/Ultra/Trail running world. We interview a wide range of athletes, conduct honest and extensive product reviews, and report on the daily happenings of the MUT scene.

"Angela Shartel Interview"

[…] Check out our latest podcast with Angela Shartel. From massive weight loss to the pressures of being an elite runner to her incredible recovery following spinal surgery, Angela drops some knowledge on how she handles races, she opens up about dealing with self-doubt, and she gives us a tour of breweries in and around San Diego. […]